38 U.S.C. § 7674 - Obligated service

38 USC 7674 - Obligated service

(a) In General.— 
Each participant in the Program shall provide service as a full-time employee of the Department for the period of obligated service provided in the agreement of the participant entered into under section 7603 of this title. Such service shall be provided in the full-time clinical practice of such participants profession or in another health-care position in an assignment or location determined by the Secretary.
(b) Determination of Service Commencement Date.— 

(1) Not later than 60 days before a participants service commencement date, the Secretary shall notify the participant of that service commencement date. That date is the date for the beginning of the participants period of obligated service.
(2) As soon as possible after a participants service commencement date, the Secretary shall
(A) in the case of a participant who is not a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration, appoint the participant as such an employee; and
(B) in the case of a participant who is an employee in the Veterans Health Administration but is not serving in a position for which the participants course of education or training prepared the participant, assign the participant to such a position.
(3) 
(A) In the case of a participant receiving a degree from a school of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, or podiatry, the participants service commencement date is the date upon which the participant becomes licensed to practice medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, or podiatry, as the case may be, in a State.
(B) In the case of a participant receiving a degree from a school of nursing, the participants service commencement date is the later of
(i) the participants course completion date; or
(ii) the date upon which the participant becomes licensed as a registered nurse in a State.
(C) In the case of a participant not covered by subparagraph (A) or (B), the participants service commencement date is the later of
(i) the participants course completion date; or
(ii) the date the participant meets any applicable licensure or certification requirements.
(4) The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe the service commencement date for participants who were part-time students. Such regulations shall prescribe terms as similar as practicable to the terms set forth in paragraph (3).
(c) Commencement of Obligated Service.— 

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a participant in the Program shall be considered to have begun serving the participants period of obligated service
(A) on the date, after the participants course completion date, on which the participant (in accordance with subsection (b)) is appointed as a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration; or
(B) if the participant is a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration on such course completion date, on the date thereafter on which the participant is assigned to a position for which the participants course of training prepared the participant.
(2) A participant in the Program who on the participants course completion date is a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration serving in a capacity for which the participants course of training prepared the participant shall be considered to have begun serving the participants period of obligated service on such course completion date.
(d) Course Completion Date Defined.— 
In this section, the term course completion date means the date on which a participant in the Program completes the participants course of education or training under the Program.

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